I had so much fun making these sweet favors for my baby shower last weekend! All of our guests were gifted my Paleo Caramel Apple Butter and my Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte mix in the adorable mini mason jars below! My family also made some incredible appetizers that I could enjoy too, which was so nice! We had a pumpkin and apple quinoa salad, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and bleu cheese stuffed dates before a beautiful cake from Edible Art. I promised I would post the Caramel Apple Butter Recipe, and it’s taken a full week, but here it is!

This apple butter is not overly sweet like some store bought brands. It contains ZERO sugar or thickeners, so it’s all natural and flavored with pumpkin pie spices. I love this as a new fall staple in our house because it’s basically just a mixture of all my favorite fall flavors, and it’s easy to make! Store this in a mason jar in the fridge for the season and enjoy it on GF toast, biscuits, ice cream, pancakes, or on a cheese plate (I love it with cheddar on a rice cracker). I have also been stirring it into my oatmeal and yogurt lately! Let me know how you like to eat your apple butter in the comments!

Paleo Caramel Apple Butter

Makes several jars full! Keep one (or two) for yourself and give the remaining as gifts!

6-8 cored, chopped fuji apples

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water or apple juice

4 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp. ground clove

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cardamom

For the Caramel

1 can full fat coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

In a large pot on the stove, combine chopped apples and all remaining ingredients (except for the caramel ingredients!)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Stir mixture until apples are covered in liquid and allow the mixture to come to a simmer on the stovetop.

Move your apple mixture to an oven safe baking dish and into the oven for 2-3 hours, until apples are browned and easily mashed. Mine took about 2 and a half hours.

While your apples bake, you can make your caramel! Simply combine your coconut milk and coconut sugar in a pot on the stove. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil.

Once your caramel is boiling, turn the stove down to “medium-low” so that your caramel is at a low simmer, and add in your vanilla and pinch of salt.

Continue to stir until well-incorporated, this whole process should take less than 15 minutes.

Remove your apple mixture from the oven and use an emersion blender to puree it (if you do not have an emersion blender, you can move the contents to a blender or food processor to puree)

Fun fact: If you’d like to enjoy some stewed apples, simply omit caramel, take your apples out of the oven a little bit earlier (after only 30-45 minutes), and do not puree them. This is a delicious fall side dish to serve with pork, chicken, or your breakfast oatmeal! Yum! I often do not get to make much apple butter around here because we stop the process early to eat the delicious/nutritious stewed apples!

I can’t believe I haven’t written up this Paleo Pumpkin Pie recipe yet! Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts, and this one mixes up in 5 minutes, then bakes for about 50. It is super easy, especially if you have a pre-made paleo or gluten-free pie crust readily available!

Most of my recipes are paleo remixes on traditional recipes. Converting pumpkin pie to paleo is a pretty basic swap, so I strongly recommend trying it during this fall season. It’s just overall much healthier for everyone! The first major health swap out is coconut milk for evaporated/condensed milk. And the most impressive swap is that I used LESS THAN 1/4 cup of maple syrup to sweeten my entire pie, which means that there is less than half a tablespoon of maple syrup in each piece of pie and that is the only sweetener. That’s likely less of a glucose spike than you get from morning coffee or a piece of gum! The key to getting that great fall taste is in using quality organic pumpkin puree, which is naturally sweet, and a generous mixture of warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, vanilla, and cardamom. You can make this crustless, and eat it like soufflé or you can sweeten it up by serving it with a dollop of maple syrup sweetened cream.

Pregnancy has me craving ALL the sweet things, BUT my glucose tolerance test is coming up so I’ve been trying to limit carbs. Of course, I already know I have a low glucose tolerance! Insulin resistance was a part of my lab work up that led my doctors to check me for PCOS (which I fortunately did not end up having). A big part of the reason paleo recipes work so well for me is because they eliminate the sugar and carb content of the standard american diet. I actually read in my Natural Mamas Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth that women on a whole foods or paleo regime can often trigger the gestational diabetes tests because our blood sugar, kept stable by whole foods, is so sensitive to the high sugar content in the Glucola beverage. For THAT reason, I’m cutting back on the sweets and carbs, but not removing them totally because that would make me even more sensitive to the drink! Pregnancy is confusing, y’all. Enter my perfectly sweet Paleo Pumpkin Pie!

This pie is better after it cools completely or sets up in the fridge, even though I had a hot slice right out of the oven because I couldn’t resist 🙂 Try it out this year and see if anyone notices that you didn’t use processed milk and sugar!

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

You will need an hour and….

1 15 oz. can or box of organic pumpkin puree. I use this one from Thrive

3 large eggs

1 cup (not can!) of full fat coconut milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp each of: ground clove, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger

1 pie crust- I use this recipe from Elana’s pantry, but there are also some great frozen options at health food stores! Before I was SCD/Paleo, I made pie crusts from scratch A LOT with just cold butter, water and flour, which I learned from an actual pastry chef! It was such a beautiful, meditative process that I miss sometimes! If your body can process organic wheat flour, then I absolutely recommend making your own pie crust! You can follow Martha Stewart’s directions here, but no need to add the teaspoon of sugar she adds!

Preheat oven to 350

Combine eggs and pumpkin puree

Add in remaining ingredients and mix by hand until well incorporated

Pour mixture into pie dish

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes until solid (it will still jiggle some, this is not quite as solid as a regular pumpkin pie)

Let it completely cool before eating and store in fridge for best consistency/ quality

Paleo Blueberry Muffins are my favorite snack to bring my Doula clients! I’ve been experimenting with recipes lately because my plan is to stock my freezer for late pregnancy and early newborn days. This is a great time of year to freeze blueberry muffins so you can take advantage of summer’s delicious in-season blueberries! I’m getting a list of healthy, hearty, filling, easy-to-reheat recipes together for a week of cooking and baking at Thanksgiving before my baby gets here, so look for more freezer friendly food on the blog then!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins are at the top of my freezer list because blueberries are a “galactagogue,” meaning they promote milk production. I’ll also be sharing a paleo lactation cookie recipe soon!

Please comment below if there was something you really enjoyed having on hand during late pregnancy and early breastfeeding days! Matt and I are also thinking about doing a meal service plan like Blue Apron or Sunbasket so we are not dependent on take out or processed foods, and can really control what is going into our bodies and into my breastmilk.

By the way, these muffins aren’t just for lactating Moms! They are great for kids & husbands too, and my co-workers REALLY enjoyed the batch I made them this week! It’s so fun to surprise people with tasty treats by introducing them to delicious sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free options (but always give them the nut warning for almond flour!)

And Mondays always need a little more cheer 🙂

Paleo Blueberry Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

You will need 30 minutes and

1 cup of almond flour

1 cup of blueberries

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 egg

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

2-3 tbsp honey or maple syrup for sweetness

1/2 cup of coconut or almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line tin with muffin cups

Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda together

Mix wet ingredients separately

Combine wet and dry ingredients and fold in blueberries

Bake for 20+ minutes until a dry toothpick can be removed

Set to cool on a wire rack!! If you are freezing, i would double or even triple this recipe, which is easy to do and still works!

This is my new favorite recipe! This paleo cake is so moist and melt-in-your-mouth perfect! It is impossible to resist cutting a hot piece when you take it out of the oven (you can see the steam rising off my piece in the below photo). This coffee cake can be made in a 9 in. pie dish (like mine) or a 9 X 9 pan. The only caveat is to be patient while it cooks. It is a super moist cake, like I said, so it goes from barely looking “set” to perfect fluffy consistency very quickly. I checked at 45 minutes and it was not done, but was perfect by 53. And always use parchment paper!

You will want to hoard this cake all for yourself, BUT it would really impress folks at a potluck party or as a gift. In fact, make 2! One for yourself, and one for some else. Spread the pumpkin love 🙂

In honor of Fall being just 2 weeks away, I’m delighted to bring you this recipe, Enjoy!

Traditionally, I would eat a Fall Salad on a bed of spinach, but spinach has not been my best friend through pregnancy!

Instead, I built on a bed of spring greens, and used pork loin as my protein. I cook with a lot of fish, veggies and chicken in summer, supplemented by the occasional burger (red meat), so Fall is when I bring in some more gamey proteins like bison, elk, turkey, and some beautiful free range pork. Free-ranging pigs do incredible things for the soil, and their happiness with human interaction could only be compared dogs!

I’m obsessed with the honey mustard/pork combo, so my dressing is a honey mustard vinaigrette, which is honestly just a great salad dressing to have around all the time. {recipe below}.
Caramelized red onions round out the salad in this photo. HOWEVER, I made a very important last minute addition to this salad– which is kind of the highlight of this meal — port-mulled cherries!

I recommend serving this salad with the components warm (not hot) which increases the feeling of heartiness and seasonality in the dish! These nuances help us to keep salads a year-round meal at our house. I’d love to see the different, creative ways YOU build a fall salad! Feel free to tag me on instagram if you make on yourself!

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

In a mason jar (or used and rinsed store-bought salad dressing jar, which is what I do!!!) COMBINE:

Controversial Post: Corn isn’t technically Paleo, but I allow myself a few ears of sweet corn at the end of the summer for succotash. I definitely don’t eat corn in excess and ALL my recipes are lactose and gluten free.

The flavor of my grandmother’s sweet creamed corn loaded with black pepper is something I haven’t had in 20 years, yet I can still taste it! The sweetness of the corn, shrimp, and onion play well on each other in this dish and it works as a main or a side. I think it would be a fabulous addition to any Labor Day potluck! Try the optional crab meat to amp up the flavor and sweetness even more! Or sprinkle with parmesan to make it more decadent!

Edible Cookie Dough is all the rage now! They even have some gluten free version at the famous, DO chain if you haven’t checked it out yet!

I’ve seen paleo versions of this using almond flour, which is awesome, but I can’t eat raw almond flour because of the nut’s oils. I can’t eat raw almonds either because I get a really itchy mouth!

This particular edible cookie dough recipe is my absolute favorite because it incorporates plain GELATIN, which does amazing things for our bodies! You have probably heard about the benefits of gelatin (which is mostly made up of collagen and water) for your hair and nails. Gelatin and collagen are also protein packed (they are animal products, so this recipe is not vegan!) and do really intensive work healing your gut. When it is soup season outside, I get tons of gelatin from my bone broths, which base all my soups and chilis, but for summer time (and pregnancy!) I can’t think of a better way to consume this gelatin super food 🙂

Combine the first 5 ingredients and blend or mix until totally incorporated and creamy intensity

Stir in chips (or other add ins!) by hand

Refrigerate and eat by the the spoonful for snacks!

This edible cookie dough definitely has a nutty flavor from all the cashew butter, BUT the consistency is SO perfect and the sweetness and chocolate are so well balanced, that your brain is really fooled into feeling like you’re eating raw cookie dough! Enjoy this protein packed snack!

I have been absent from my blog for the last 5 months, desperately missing my Paleo community! However, it’s not without good reason, because I’ve been cooking up my biggest success yet:

The last 4 months of pregnancy have been brutal at times, and I have really struggled with my diet. I’ve lacked the energy to cook for myself, developed new aversions, allergies, and digestive problems, and I’ve only recently gotten over incapacitating nausea and vomiting. I’m hoping to begin working with an RD (registered dietitian) who can help me maintain a modified paleo diet throughout the rest of my journey with pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I believe that everyone, pregnant or not, should eat what makes them feel their best in mind, body, and soul. That looks different for different people. I’ve found, for me, that disconnecting with my paleo diet during my pregnancy has disconnected me from a huge part of myself and has thus: A) been detrimental to my energy and digestive health and B) not served me emotionally or spiritually.

Becoming a Mom means so many things to me. Right now, it means taking care of myself in a new, more profound way. First, so that I can nourish our little to be strong and healthy. Later, it will mean nourishing myself for optimal breastfeeding, and cultivating the energy I need to participate in my family fully. If you have recently been pregnant, raised an infant, battled food allergies, or autoimmune disease, you know how huge that energy play is for me!

I’ve learned a lot already, and I’ve still got a little over half my pregnancy to go. I’m excited to learn even more from my changing body, my baby, and my dietitian. Another great lesson in all of this: it’s so important to ask for help when you need it! I hope you will follow me on this journey! I promise to post candidly and (as) frequently (as a new Mom can). My goal is still to use this blog as a collecting space for the recipes that will comprise my future Cookbook. As a Doula, I’m excited to add new pregnancy and breastfeeding specific recipes to the repertoire!

Because eating for your best mind, body, and soul sometimes means indulging, I haven’t forgotten National Ice Cream Day! This is a special Paleo/ Vegan Ice Cream Recipe for all those celebrating on a special diet! Yes, I tried regular ice cream in early pregnancy (not with pickles) and it burned all the way down, so coconut cream it is from here on out!

Paleo/ Vegan/ Dairy Free Ice Cream

1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk – chilled for 30 minutes in freezer or 3 hours in fridge

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey if you are not Vegan and prefer a sweeter finish)

1 T vanilla extract

1 t sea salt

1 cup of your fruit of your choice

4 t Tapioca flour if you are not using an ice cream machine.

With an ice cream maker:

Simply combine your first 5 ingredients in a blender and blend well

Then process through your ice cream maker

Without an ice cream maker (like me):

Blend all 6 ingredients thoroughly

Pour coconut cream mixture into a freezer safe container and cover

Let freeze for 2-3 hours, and then blend again (repeat this step 1-2 more times until your ice cream reaches desired consistency)

A great way to dress up your Paleo Ice Cream is to melt some dark chocolate and/or almond butter to drizzle on top!

My husband said these taste like real fudge brownies with the “sugar sucked out.” “Like Magic?” I asked him. “Yes.” So now my cooking is magical!

Personally, there is plenty of sweetness in these little morsels- especially with the added richness of almond butter on top (if you choose to top them! They are also fine without) Matt just has an intense sweet tooth!

I really like cooking desserts in small batches because then I don’t over-indulge or get sick of the same thing. We had a tiny batch of these at home since we are working on fitness this month- I took the rest to my Staff at Cape Fear Academy and they LOVED them! I hope you do too!

I only wish I had started curing my own salmon earlier! Matt bought a beautiful 3 pound salmon filet for us last week. I divided it in half and baked one part with the traditional lemon, dill, and sea salt, which sustained us with 2 delicious dinners this weekend.

The other half rested in the fridge over the long weekend before it magically became GRAVLAX (or salt cured salmon), which will comprise my lunches for the week. The entire cost of these 4 indulgent salmon dinners and 4 healthy lunches for the week was $16- the affordable cost of the fresh salmon. That’s about the same price of the largest package of smoked salmon at Whole Foods.

If you’re not convinced yet, just look at how quick and easy the curing process is! I’ve included all the tricks and tips I’ve learned along the way below within parentheses. Get ready for melt-in-your-mouth salmon!

Gravlax

To cure your own salmon gravlax you will need…

A 1-2 pound salmon flank

1/2 cup of kosher salt

1/4 cup of coconut sugar

1/8 cup of black pepper

a serrated knife

plastic wrap

Take your raw salmon flank and cut it (longways) into 2 equal pieces. (Make sure the size is relatively consistent in thickness and width because the thinner pieces will get tough and overcooked, like salmon “jerky”)

Mix all of your seasonings together (If you want the smoked taste, then use “smoked” salt. We prefer gravlax without smokey flavor, so we use regular coarse sea salt)

Generously rub spice mixture into the meaty part of your salmon flanks and place one on top of the other (meat to meat; not skin to skin) Think, “orange on orange!”

Wrap your salmon in plastic wrap tightly ( It’s easier to lay it in the middle of a large piece of plastic wrap on a table to begin wrapping like a gift)

Once your salmon is wrapped, place it on a large platter that will not overflow as oils and juices collect under fish. On top of this platter, you will add another platter, plate, or cookie sheet that covers the salmon. (stay with me, friends!)

Once the plastic-wrapped salmon is covered with two plates or cookie sheets (one on bottom, one on top) put it in the fridge and stack something heavy on it to create pressure. This is important because it drains the salmon of its raw juices. (I used cans of beans one time, and large glass pyrex containers of leftovers another time)

Wait patiently for 3 days while your salmon “cooks” in the fridge!

On the 3rd day, remove salmon from plastic wrap and slice thinly for your desired gravlax thickness (I’ve found that a serrated knife works best for this!)

Store your Gravlax in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week! Serve with thinly sliced red onion, capers, or this delicious

Does the title of this post sound like an oxymoron to you? Then you are the perfect person for this recipe!

I don’t usually eat turkey burgers because they’re often dry or tough and sustainably/morally farmed turkey is hard to find in NC. However, turkey is such a fabulous source of lean protein that I made an effort to find some good-quality ground turkey and create some of my own delicious recipes!

The first recipe up is for a tender, juicy turkey burger. Dicing 1 apple and 1/2 a fennel bulb not only gets moisture into my turkey burgers, but introduces produce as well. These turkey burgers turn up a notch with the addition of a dried apple slice, caramelized red onions, spicy mustard, and brie or cheddar cheese (if you’re into that).

For my tasty turkey burgers, you will need 30 minutes and …

1 pound of ground turkey

1 apple

1 fennel bulb

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of black pepper

your desired turkey burger “accoutrements” but I suggest aged cheddar or brie (if you can have cheese!) and caramelized onions (thinly sliced red onion, cooked slowly on the stove top in ghee)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Chop 1 apple ( I used fuji) and 1/2 a fennel bulb into small pieces the size of your pinky nail

In a bowl, combine your ground turkey with chopped fennel and apple, and season with salt and pepper. You will use much more pepper to add a kick to your burgers and to limit salt. These flavors speak for themselves!

Create patties the size of your palm or fist. 1 pound should make 4 patties.

It’s the week before Christmas! That means that I bought about a pound of chocolate “for my mother-in-law” (who loves chocolate) and promptly “ate most of it.” For some folks that sounds like a typical holiday season mistake, but for someone like me who rarely consumes sugar, it’s painful afterward! I told Matt to try to pry it from my hands, but that’s not working. THUS, I’ve decided to create something that will encourage a healthy “after dinner snack” to replace my steady consumption of a tall glass of red wine and chocolate candy (which both nutritionally and calorically ruins my uber-healthy dinners!) So my plan tonight is to hide the rest of my mother-in-law’s chocolate, and enjoy this Holiday Biscotti alongside a peppermint tea! I’ll let you know how it goes….

Biscotti is Italian for twice baked cookie (just kidding, but that’s essentially what it is). In my opinion, biscotti is even easier to perfect than cookies, because it’s supposed to be burnt, so don’t let the fancy name deter you! We are hosting Christmas this year, and this is so great that I might make this holiday biscotti for my family, but add some pistachios for that festive flash of red & green! Biscotti is also really delicious with almond extract flavor and/or orange zest!

I have never baked a better cookie. Even when I consumed white sugar and bleached flour and god knows what else- never tasted anything better from my kitchen. These will be in my repertoire FOR-EV-ER, so I had to get the recipe down as soon as quickly as possible. These cookies are crispy and delightfully chewy, like every cookie should be!

Tis the season for decadence, right? And these are surely that (for me). I don’t EVER eat baked goods, paleo or not. I bake cookies twice a year, which I suppose is why it took over 4 years of eating paleo to perfect my chocolate chip cookie recipe! My point is, you should make these for your annual cookie swap or christmas party, for those who may be paleo or gluten-free OR you could just make them for your family and not say a word. You see, almond meal has infinitely more nutrition than white flour AND it’s way more filling, which is why after 3 cookies, I’m writing this absolutely stuffed. These are perfect for staying on a diet/regime, but they’re also fulfilling for those of us who want to walk on the wild side and indulge during the holidays.

I’ve annotated my recipe for those of you who may be like me, and not natural bakers. Thus, I’ve justified each ingredient and why you can’t sub it out– hope this helps!

PERFECT Paleo Chocolate chip cookies (makes about 18)

1/2 cup of browned ghee (ghee is paleo butter because it lacks dairy and casein. Brown your ghee in a sauce pan on low heat or use butter if you are not lactose intolerant. To “brown” butter, you really just want it a shade darker than yellow/golden to achieve a caramel/nutty taste. Dark BROWN butter is actually burnt.

1/4 a cup of coconut sugar ( I use trader Joe’s)

1 teaspoon of vanilla ( I use Trader Joe’s Bourbon Vanilla)

1/4 a cup of maple syrup ( I buy in bulk because I use it in everything)

2.5 cups of almond flour ( I use Trader Joe’s. It’s 6.99 and great quality)

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup of chocolate chips

himalayan sea salt

1 egg and 1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375 and use parchment paper to line your baking pan. Parchment paper never fails.

Combine browned butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup

Add 1 egg and 1 egg white to mixture

Now combine almond flour and baking soda and stir until smooth. I hand stir because electric tends to over stimulate

Hey-O! The Blog went a little haywire while I was away from home celebrating our recent marriage with friends & family in Chapel Hill, home of our alma mater UNC- Go Tarheels!

I’m back at home, settling in for some serious fall cooking-which is my favorite cooking- and some even more serious liver detoxing with fun, fall recipes! Fall is the best time to detox, because like the earth around us, we are shedding what is “dead” or no longer of use to our bodies. The best way to support general health, detox, and immunity is eating seasonally, which is why I support massive gourd consumption in the fall. I really try to limit alcohol, sugar, processed foods, and bad fats leading up to holidays. This produces a more enjoyable holiday season, and a more creative New Year’s Resolution than “Lose 5 pounds” or “Get healthy.” I know that sometimes these large, tough, strong tasting autumnal fruits can seem overwhelming and impossible to cook, so I’ve catalogued some of my favorite recipes below.

FYI: Trader Joes sells by the gourd, not by the pound, so they are the best price I can find. The great thing about buying gourds and squashes is that you get to decorate with them until you eat them! They live for weeks as your table’s centerpiece!

If you’re interested in a dinner that is completely different and delicious, I highly recommend this one. My spaghetti squash has been staring me in the face from its resting spot on our breakfast table for some time, so I had to bite the bullet this weekend and decided on good old Spaghetti & Meatballs. I had a pound of bison in the fridge, so I decided to use that for the meatballs. Bison has more protein and less fat than beef or pork, which is great for the waistline, but not great for keeping meatballs together. Breadcrumbs usually act as a meatball adhesive, but I had seen Joy Bauer, of morning show fame, use pumpkin puree as an alternative adhesive in turkey meatballs, so I decided to try it- and I’m s glad I did!

Everyone knows that you have to brown meatballs before cooking them in your pasta sauce, so I decided that if the pumpkin meatball was going to leach out its yummy contents, then the sauce might as well be deliberately pumpkin/tomato. This may sound like an unusual combination, but Trader Joe’s actually makes a pumpkin/butternut squash/tomato sauce called Autumnal Harvest.

The result of mixing pumpkin and nutmeg with my traditional salty tomato sauce was incredible! It provides that salty/sweet umami flavor that I love. I buy pumpkin puree in bulk for all of its many purposes, since it has a high fiber content and delicious flavor, so it always excites me to find yet another use for it! We really loved this new sauce and definitely plan on making it again. You can eat it over Spaghetti Squash like we did, for a low carb option, or over regular pasta. If you do eat it over Spaghetti Squash, then I recommend a teaspoon of baking soda sprinkled on teach side of he squash to aid digestion! I really hope you try this recipe and enjoy something a little different and autumn flavored!

Admittedly, the “superfood” craze is a little silly, but it still blows my mind that adding a little tablespoon of chia seeds to my morning smoothie can afford me enough protein and fiber to really keep me full through my strenuous workouts.

My newest smoothie addition is…

Maca, a root grown high in the Peruvian mountains, used by ancient Incas to increase both fertility and virility. Today, holistics prescribe Maca root powder for chronic fatigue syndrome, fertility issues, hormone imbalance, and low libido. It’s important to start off using Maca in very small doses since it IS a potent superfood. The really great thing about increasing energy and vitality via Maca is that it does not tax the adrenals the way that caffeine does. Your energy is much more slow burning and long lasting. This is great news for the large percentage of the population suffering with adrenal fatigue, which correlates with hormone imbalance in women and causes a lot of stress on our systems.

I’ve instagrammed my use of collagen and chlorophyll in fruit smoothies. To make my smoothies more “Seasonal” this fall, I use Maca in combination with 8 oz. of almond milk, 1 banana, 1/2 a cup of pumpkin puree, a slice of ginger root, a few drops of vanilla extract and 1 tbsp. of cinnamon to create a delicious pumpkin pie smoothie. I’m really looking forward to sharing more details with you about the direct effect of Maca on my quality of life!

Wedding gifts are SO FUN- especially the totally impractical ones. Last weekend we used our waffle maker for the first time, and the result was glorious! Matt grew up making waffles, but this was my first time and I was shocked at the quality. It may just be the new waffle maker, but there are also a few nuances that improved our waffle game. We added 1/2 cup of pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, to a basic almond flour waffle recipe. Then, I warmed the maple syrup on the stove in a saucepan with a vanilla bean to amp up the flavor. I also made a few pieces of turkey bacon to top it off and add that salty/sweet contrast that I need with brunch.

I don’t know about you, but I am anything but a “ball of energy” this time of year. Every year around this time, Matt gets really excited about the giant bags of candy in super stores and buys one (or two) for our “trick-or -treaters.” I suspect (pray) being in a family-friendly neighborhood for the first time this year will bring us more than our previous record 4 trick-or-treaters.

Anyway, every year I also decide that having a bite-sized Butterfinger or a teeny-weeny Twix nightly wont bother my stomach or my monstrous aversion to sugar. Thus begins the slippery slope of the holiday season.

That’s why I am SO excited about my recipe for this perfectly nutritious snack-size “ball of energy.” You can eat 1 or 2 as a snack or dessert or have 2 or 3 for breakfast with coffee! It’s perfect for on-the-go energy and nutrition. I use plant-based protein, as opposed to whey, but I assume whey protein powder would work the same way, since this is a no-bake snack. The taste reminds me of those No Bake Oatmeal Cookies from my childhood, but these pack a punch of protein with no sugar, additives, or packaging! I made these this Sunday, so now I have a healthy go-to snack and dessert for the week. They also give me a small energy-packed morsel to enjoy before for my morning workouts!

I’ve got to be honest, it’s one week after I finished Whole 30, and almost everything in my fridge is STILL homemade! I may have the luxury of a great work schedule and no kids just yet, but I have really worked hard this year on what nutrition is right for me and my family and I’m proud of myself. Sometimes that includes a few store-bought brands, but more often then not, it involves a lot of whole food ingredients + meal prep. And I’ve happily mastered that… for now! I hope you enjoy this new recipe!

It’s a rainy September day in Wilmington, and we are currently basking in bowls of the best chili I ever made. There are a few “secret” ingredients in this recipe that I think are important elements to the chili.

spicy sweet

Growing up, my mom made meaty spaghetti sauce that was delicious; both spicy and sweet. She used regular processed sugar in our sauce, but for mine, I used 90% DARK CHOCOLATE. I used 2 squares of an organic bar (about 1 oz.) and it added a rich, sweet element, especially in combination with the sweet BUTTERNUT SQUASH.

To achieve the spicy element that pairs so well with sweetness, I used 1/8 cup of RED CHILI FLAKES. I love these on everything: avocado toast, cauliflower pizza, ice cream (just kidding!) They really are one of my favorite cheap flavor punches. Additionally, I used a can of GREEN CHILIS to deepen the spicy note.

why bison?

Bison is a lean meat that has the flavor of beef, but is packed with less fat and more protein. See my OTHER bison chili recipe for more details! I also like that bison is raised in humane, sustainable practices.

mushrooms

Meaty mushrooms are the key to the texture of this dish. I DID NOT use beans in this recipe because I wanted there to be an easy Vegan Sub out for this chili. Thus, if you are not eating meat, you can simply sub in 1 can of Navy Beans and 1-2 cans of Kidney Beans for your Bison/ Beef. Because there are mushrooms in this chili, it tastes MEATY both ways! Mushrooms are essential to good vegetarian meals. Thank you, FUNGI!

kale

Because Kale.

And those are the secrets for the Best Chili I ever Made!

Butternut Squash, Kale & Mushroom Chili (6-10 servings)

1 butternut squash, sliced and chunked (I used Trader Joe’s pre-chunked)
1 bunch of kale (your preferred type)
1 pound of Bison or Beef (OR sub 2-3 beans as described above)1 can of organic tomato paste
3-4 cups of vegetable broth ( I use the 32 oz box when I don’t use my own which is about 4 cups, but 3 will suffice)
1 large zucchini
1 red onion
1 can of green chilis
1/8 cup of chili flakes
salt and pepper
1 oz. of dark chocolate
cooking oil

In your large chili pot, use cooking fat or oil to saute your chopped onion on medium heat

Matt loves baking cookies with me, so it was the perfect hurricane activity for us on this blustery weekend. It’s our first hurricane season as coastal dwellers, so we both have a bit of cabin fever by now.

I also wanted to bake something and eat it up before Whole 30 starts on Wednesday. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but it’s impossible to resist a fresh, warm cookie! And I do love chocolate.

These cookies are perfect for Celiac and Gluten Free folks. I find that a lot of gluten-free flour mixes have weird after-tastes and a lot unnecessary filler, so I prefer using coconut or almond flour, as a purest.

It’s important to note when baking with Coconut flour, that it does not “rise” or “spread” so you will want to shape your cookies exactly like you want the end result to look! Coconut flour also gives you a soft cookie, not a crispy one. So Matt really likes these cookies for making Ice Cream Sandwiches!

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Neolithic Elisabeth

After being diagnosed with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), Elisabeth found the will to conquer it naturally and nutritionally. She has since found a deeper purpose for her own calling in holistic medicine, healthful nutrition, and simple living, which led to her involvement with essential oils, interests in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and pursuit of becoming credentialed as a nutritionist and Holistic Doula.